Since the last time they came, Zhang Xiaobei's team of nine reappeared. It was almost noon, and there were more people on the road at this time. It was just a show for others to see. If there were no onlookers, it would not look good.
They saw a team with no end in sight coming from the other side of the road.
They were famous for their bells and drums, and they played music.
Then, the first flag appeared. It fluttered in the wind with a golden flying dragon embroidered on it.
There were two people under the flag, wearing the Great General Jin Wu robes with arrows and sabers. There were also two people holding long spears. On the left and right, there was one Great General Jin Wu, leading 48 riders. Then, there were 24 armored archers and sabers, both men and horses were heavily armored.
These were the Heavenly Patrol. The things in front of Li Longji were just for show. The Great General Jin Wu were fake, and the ones behind were Xiaobei's.
There were thirty-six people in front to clear the path. The nine ballistae were the nine ballistae that were covered by the ballistae. After that, there were seventy-two people in black, seventy-two chariots, five hundred and forty people with halberds, fifty-four red flags, four hundred and fifty people with sabers, spears, bows, arrows, and lances. There were thirty message flags, ninety ceremonial knives, one hundred and eight ballistae, eighteen vermillion lacquered round fans, and nine ballistae.
These were the ceremonial guards. After that, there were not many people. When they came out this time, they did not prepare to have a ceremonial guard. Most of them were temporary guards.
Behind them were the chariots of Xiaobei's team of nine. They were all bright yellow, decorated with ivory decorations and pearls. There were also countless rice seedling flags stuck on the chariots and horses. They really did not have enough people to carry them.
Next to the chariots were a hundred short musketeers. Behind the chariots were a hundred people with submachine guns. Behind them were two hundred long musketeers. Behind the musketeers were two hundred inner court musketeers. Behind the musketeers were six small cannons. Behind the small cannons were three hundred people with long and short guns.
In the sky, there were 13 eagles soaring.
Xiaobei's team of nine had not had such a grand ceremonial guard in a long time. To be precise, they had only done it twice, including this time.
The inside of the chariot in front was actually filled with cement, and the wheels were squeaking from the pressure.
However, others did not know that Xiaobei's team was short on manpower, so they were a little shabby.
The people on the road were dumbfounded when they saw this group of people coming over. The group was too big. There were people on the wasteland, and the place where the alfalfa was planted was also trampled.
When the passersby saw this, they didn't think about the losses suffered by the people who planted the grass. Of course, they didn't know that Xiao Bei and the others had to compensate them in the end.
The procession was not moving fast. It was about the same as a normal person. It would take an hour for them to reach the place where they were now.
This was enough time for someone to run to the county town and tell the others.
After the procession had advanced for another forty-five minutes, a large group of people appeared in front of them. All of them ran to the wasteland. There were both adults and children. They stood there, looking at the procession with curiosity and shock.
There were people from the Chen family in the group, as well as County Magistrate Zhao Jianghao, Secretary Xiang Li, County Deputy Qian Yousui, and a group of county officials, warehouse managers, and bailiffs.
After the commotion yesterday, they already knew who had come. Thinking of the benefits they had received from the Chen family in secret, as well as the public welfare money that the Chen family had given out when they needed political achievements, they were all trembling in fear.
Although they didn't directly help the Chen family embezzle other people's private property, they also didn't distort the truth when it came to cases involving the Chen family.
However, they pretended not to see when the Chen family set traps and forced people to sell things at low prices. When the Chen family hit people, they helped to mediate, such as giving money, clarifying the severity of the situation, and so on.
And now, Zhang Xiaobei, who had lived in the county town for a few days, was there a need to say anything else when the procession of nine people was here. They definitely couldn't run away.
It was said that the root of everything was the procession of honor that the eldest son of the Chen family's eldest son had made that day. In the end, he wanted to bully Xiaobei. Now, Xiaobei had also made that procession. Their purpose was very obvious. They wanted to show you what a procession was. Each of the nine people had made a procession. Otherwise, how could there be so many flags?
They finally saw the arrogance of a third-rank official. Perhaps it was the last time they would experience their power before they died.
When Xiaobei and the others got closer and saw the dragon flag, the people who had come to watch the show knelt down one after another. When they saw the rice flag, the people who had knelt down stood up again. Their eyes lit up, and they looked excited as they began to move forward.
The two different reactions of the people made the county magistrate, Zhao Jianghao, who was still kneeling on the ground, feel emotional. When they saw the dragon flag, they knelt down in awe, but when they saw the rice flag, they became friendly. They didn't care if they were facing the emperor's procession of honor. They directly stood up and moved to the side of the people.
There were also people from the Chen family kneeling. They were all trembling, especially Chen Yaozu. His name wasn't given in vain. He had indeed shown off, but the consequences of showing off were not easy to bear. He was trembling the most now. The other party had come knocking on his door. There was no need to consider the problem of life and death. It would be good if he could die a quick death.
The procession of honor stopped. Because of the Chen family incident the last time they came, the guard's vigilance was much stricter than in Wenshan County.
The person holding the gun next to the carriage shook his head, indicating that the people should not come forward.
"Little brother, please make an exception. We want to see Xiaobei and Xiaoyuan." A person dressed like a squire walked up to the guard and pleaded from five paces away.
The guard shook his head. "No way. My family's young master and young lady came over a few days ago and were taken liberties with and bullied by that Chen family in your county. If they hadn't been quick to hide, they would have lost their lives."
"Chen family? Which Chen family? "the squire asked with wide eyes. His voice was so loud that it drew the attention of nearly everyone.
The guard didn't respond, but he was looking at the people kneeling in the wasteland.
The people followed his gaze and looked over. At first, they were shocked, but then their faces filled with anger.
"It's actually Chen Mu and that old coot. Usually they strut around in the county. We'll just bear with it and won't lower ourselves to their level. I never thought they would bully Xiaobei and the others today. How dare they! Xiaobei is being bullied here. Folks, Xiaobei is being bullied."
After one of the people looked back, he started to shout to the people around him. As he shouted, he rushed toward the people of the Chen family kneeling there.
The others were stunned for a moment, but then they followed suit. Some of them grabbed a handful of stones from the ground, or picked up a clump of dirt. Others untied the belts around their waists and stretched them, holding one end in each hand as they ran over.
"Tell them not to kill him. I want him alive." Xiaobei's voice came from one of the carriages.
The guard immediately shouted a few times from behind, not knowing if anyone heard him.
The people of the Chen family kneeling on the ground panicked when they saw the people rushing over.
"What … what are you doing?" Chen Yaozu stood up from the ground, glaring angrily at the people who had always been afraid of him.
But this time, he didn't need to show his power. The person in the front threw a fist straight at his face. Chen Yaozu reacted quickly, moving his head to the side and bending his waist to avoid the attack. He was then drowned in more punches and kicks.
"Oh, you dare hit me. Oh, don't hit me. Motherf * cker, it hurts. Who's going to hit me? Ah, my legs, my head, my eyes. You don't know who I am. I … I surrender. If you hit me again, I'll die. Wuuu, ah, ah. "
Chen Yaozu could no longer be seen through the gaps in the crowd. His voice gradually turned from loud curses to soft begging for mercy, and then disappeared.
"Dead?" The people who were hitting him stopped when they saw that there was no more movement.
"He's not dead. Let's leave it like this first. Xiaobei said that she didn't want to kill him. She wants to kill him personally, one cut at a time, the kind that will take half a month." A person went over to touch Chen Yaozu's neck and nose, then stood up and said to the people around him.
Chen Yaozu wasn't the only one who fell. The others didn't escape either. The smarter ones covered their heads and let the people hit them for a while. Those who struggled were beaten even more.
The people in the yamen also stood up and watched at the side. They couldn't stop them, and they didn't dare to stop them. They even faintly felt that it would be better if the people of the Chen family were beaten to death. That way, the benefits they received wouldn't be exposed.
Today, not only did they see the ceremonial procession of a third-rank official, they also felt the prestige of Xiao Bei and the others among the commoners. The usually honest commoners had such a huge reaction when they heard that Xiao Bei was bullied. If it wasn't for them shouting at the back not to beat him to death, the Chen family would probably be dead by now.
"Sir, what should we do?" The county deputy, Qian Yousui, looked at the beating for a while and started to worry about his own affairs. He turned his head and whispered to Zhao Jianghao.
"I think we should do this. Let's …"
"You, you Suo 'er, come here." Before Zhao Jianghao could finish his words, a few guards had already come to their side. Every two guards held onto one person's arm and walked to the side, not giving them a chance to talk and collude.
Although there was no evidence to prove that the people in the yamen were not clean and had even broken the law, it could be estimated from the Chen family in the county that the people in the yamen were definitely not what they appeared to be on the surface.
The three people in charge of the county yamen were taken away to 'assist' in the investigation. The rest of the people were still waiting in the same place, not knowing what to do.
At this time, a servant girl came over and said to them, "My wife and young master said that they know everything you have done. Now, I will give you a chance. If you confess, you will be given a lighter sentence. If you resist, you will be executed on the spot. Yes, you will be charged with the crime of deceiving the emperor. It depends on your performance. In a while, someone will come over to question you one by one. Now, don't make a sound and don't look at each other. "
After the servant girl finished speaking, she left. Someone came over with a pen and paper to record. The people in the yamen lowered their heads and didn't look at others. Some even squatted down with their hands on their heads, waiting for others to come and ask them. At this moment, the mainstream of their thoughts was who to betray and who to betray.
The team's doctor also came over and checked on the people of the Chen family who had been beaten. Other than a few who had fainted and perhaps had a slight concussion, the others were in good condition. Of course, there was no way to check if they had a concussion. The medical conditions were not good enough to detect it.
The doctor not only had to check on the people who had been beaten, but also the people who had beaten them. Usually, the honest people would not be beaten, but there were people who had injured themselves. When their fists hit other people's heads, other people's heads would hurt, and their fists would hurt as well. Some even injured their tendons. There were also a few who sprained their ankles when they hit others, and some were accidentally injured by their own people.
Everyone was grinning, waiting for the doctor to come over and check on them.
"Who knocked my teeth out? Little Fatty, was it you? "An eight or nine year old boy covered his mouth. Blood flowed down the gaps between his fingers.
"It wasn't me. How would I have the strength to knock your teeth out?" The person who was called Little Fatty shook his head and denied.
"You pushed me, and my mouth hit his head." The child who had lost his teeth wasn't stupid.
Little Fatty took a step back and said, "Don't blame it on me. Your teeth were loose the day before yesterday, and you need to change them. When you change your teeth, it's even more uncomfortable. You have to think about it every day."
"Even so, I don't need you to help me hit them. What do you think we should do?"
"I'll treat you to some crispy knuckles. I don't have much noodles at home. I'll roast some for you."
"My teeth are gone. How can I eat them?"
"…"
Similar words spread among many people. Everyone seemed to be complaining, but in fact, they were in a good mood after venting. After beating the people who usually bullied them but did not dare to hit them, this was a good feeling.
Xiao Bei and the others also got out of the car at this time and walked over to Chen Yaozu, who had been beaten.
A basin of water was splashed on him. When he woke up in a daze, Xiao Bei smiled. Then, he said to him in a very ruffian and gangster-like manner, "What did you say when you invited me to the county the other day? Today, I'm here. I missed you so much. Let's find a place to have a good chat? "
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